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During tax season, digital filing helps tax preparers improve accuracy, reduce manual work, and maintain compliance. That is why e-filing has become a core part of modern tax workflows, with the IRS receiving more than 136 million e-filed returns during the last tax season. To manage this process efficiently, firms need advanced tax software that can simplify preparation, reduce errors, and speed up filing.
Lacerte, Intuit’s desktop-based professional tax software, is designed to support these needs. From accurate calculations and automated data entry to streamlined document handling and smoother return submission, Lacerte offers a range of features that make e-filing more efficient.
Top Lacerte Features for Faster, More Accurate Tax E-Filing in 2026
Let’s take a closer look at 11 key Lacerte features that support a faster and more reliable filing process.
1. Exclusive QuickBooks Accountant Integration
Lacerte integrates with QuickBooks Accountant through Intuit’s Trial Balance Utility, enabling the import of trial balances from Accountant into the Lacerte application. Trial Balance Utility’s advanced feature, SmartMap, reduces the tax preparer’s effort by automatically assigning tax pages and lines to the trial balance accounts.
You can do this in the QB Accountant tool by selecting Balances to Lacerte Tax under the Export option in the Utilities section of the File menu. Just add the necessary details, such as client name, type of return, accounting method, tax year, etc., in the Trial Balance Utility, to export trial balances.
2. Fast, Reliable e-filing
Lacerte offers an integrated e-filing feature that facilitates batch e-filing extensions through the E-file Extension Wizard. This feature saves a significant amount of time and effort for tax preparers who need to handle several extensions for the tax season.
You can file batch extensions by selecting the clients in the Client tab and clicking the E-File option. You can also view each client’s e-file status in real time.
3. Oil and Gas Data, and Partner Data Management
This feature is useful for tax preparers working with clients in industries like oil and gas. Lacerte enables tax preparers to enter oil and gas information from Excel directly into a partnership return.
To access this feature, you can navigate to Lacerte’s Screen 16. Moreover, Lacerte enables you to manually create oil and gas properties and calculate gross percentage depletion. You can also enter bulk sales of gas and oil properties.
4. Trial Balance Utility
Trial Balance Utility enables tax preparers to import data directly from QuickBooks and other accounting solutions through Excel. Instead of manually entering data, it automates data entry, reducing filing time and errors. This utility works on multiple modules, including Individual, Partnership, and Corporate.
However, the Trial Balance Utility does not include the previous year’s balance and mapping data.
5. Schedule D Import Wizard
Handling capital gains and losses can be time-consuming, especially when clients have extensive investment activity. The Schedule D Import Wizard enables tax preparers to import Form 1040 information directly from Excel or a tax file. This feature relieves tax preparers from manually entering each disposition.
The Import Schedule D feature is available in the Dispositions (Schedule D, 4797, etc.) section of Screen 17. You can select the .csv file in the Browse section of the Schedule D Import wizard to start the import. Lacerte also gives you the option to either add the transactions to the existing Schedule D information, replace, or clear the transactions.
6. K-1 Transfer Utility
With this feature, tax preparers can import their K-1 data to the individual or corporate modules. However, before using this utility, you must ensure that the information in both the individual and partner screens is the same (when exporting data to the individual module).
The utility also includes a diagnostics section, where you can view any messages related to the import. Once the transfer is complete, you can review the data on Screen 20 (Passthrough K-1’s). K-1 transfer utility eliminates the need for manually re-entering K-1 information for each related return.
7. PDFs by Email
This feature enables tax preparers to send PDFs via email to clients directly from the Lacerte application. The PDFs can be any return documents, such as client copy, partial return, K-1 package, and government filing copy. All you need to do is go to the Client Information (Screen 1) and select the client.
Lacerte can send emails only by integration with a supported email application. It also gives you the option of sending a PDF link instead of the actual file that the client can access from anywhere. Moreover, you can password-protect the PDF to ensure the confidentiality of critical tax data. This is one of the great features to simplify client communication.
8. Manual Entry Forms
Lacerte contains several forms in Screen 100 that are currently not supported by the application. You can view and fill PDF forms for Individual, Corporate, and Partnership, S-Corporate, and Fiduciary modules, such as NY Form IT-112.1, NY Form CT-651, and NY Form IT-634. Moreover, you can add a new form by clicking on the Request a Form button.
9. Multiple Filings Per Client
With Lacerte, tax preparers can facilitate multiple e-filings for a single client, such as federal, state, and LLC. It reduces the tax preparer’s time of filing multiple returns as they can add multiple filings to the same client file.
10. Family Link
The family link feature helps tax preparers connect a child’s return to the parents. However, to use this feature, it is imperative to complete both the kids’ and parents’ returns. Family link reduces tax preparers’ efforts and minimizes the risk of discrepancies that could lead to e-file rejections or compliance issues.
You can use this feature by selecting Family Link (8615) in the Tools section. From there, you need to add the Child and Parent in the Available Client section.
11. Fixed Asset Import Tool
The Fixed Asset Import Tool allows tax preparers to import depreciation and asset-related data from Excel spreadsheets. Instead of manually entering depreciations, you can import the data and reduce manual errors. You can use this feature for filing individual, corporate, or partnership returns.
However, you must ensure that the Excel files are not password-protected, as the tool cannot import from them. You can access the Fixed Asset Import Tool from the Depreciation Screen, Client Menu, and Tools Menu.
Go Completely Digital This Tax Season with Lacerte on the Cloud
The features discussed in the blog help tax preparers e-file client returns without discrepancies and hassles. But when Lacerte is hosted on the cloud, the workflow becomes even more efficient. Firms can create a more flexible, paperless, and secure tax environment where teams can access files remotely, collaborate more easily, and share documents with clients in real time.
Lacerte Hosting gives firms the agility to handle peak-season demands without disrupting operations. With Ace Cloud Hosting’s Lacerte hosting, you get a high-performance cloud environment backed by Tier-5 data centers, 99.99% uptime, enterprise-grade security, 45-day backups, and 24/7/365 human support. It allows your team to access Lacerte from anywhere while maintaining performance, continuity, and data protection throughout the tax season.
Book a Free Trial today to explore Ace Cloud Hosting’s cloud-hosted Lacerte service experience.
